The Workplace: Want recognition? Share the credit.

You recently completed a successful project at work and you'd like to have the accomplishment recognized around the office. How do you do it?

With modesty and great care. While your accomplishment may be exemplary, you don't want to alienate anyone by promoting it too aggressively, said S. Gary Snodgrass, executive vice president and chief human-resources officer at Exelon, an energy company in Chicago.

"Focus on 'we,' not 'me,' " Snodgrass said. "Individuals will have a better chance of receiving kudos for their work if they put their egos on the shelf and emphasize how the outcome was the result of a team effort."

In general, why is recognition so important?

Compliments make employees feel appreciated. And being recognized for good performance makes the effort feel more worthwhile, said Cindy Ventrice, president of Potential Unlimited, a consulting firm in Santa Cruz, California.

Recognition of employees can help employers, too. Managers' praise of extraordinary achievement can inspire other employees to continue the trend, according to Chester Elton, senior vice president for performance recognition at O. C. Tanner, a consulting company in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"When we see colleagues being recognized, it inspires us to strive for recognition as well," Elton said.

How do companies celebrate individual success?

That depends on your manager and the culture of the workplace. Some businesses, usually smaller ones, take time out to acknowledge every milestone, creating an environment where all notable performances are applauded with cake, pizza parties and other forms of back-patting. Other companies rarely give public encouragement, perpetuating a sense that success should be part of the job.

Many employers fall somewhere between these two extremes. Patti Hathaway, chief executive of Change Agent, a consulting firm in Columbus, Ohio, said that at most companies, common forums for acknowledgment are the company intranet, monthly newsletters and e-mail messages.

Julie Moore Rapacki, president of Polish Your Star, a consulting firm in Edina, Minnesota, said that it can even be acceptable to ask customers to detail some of your accomplishments directly to the boss, so that reports of your success come directly from those who have experienced it first-hand.

To what extent should you credit your colleagues?

Certainly give credit where credit is due. If you worked on the bulk of a project with a group of diligent co-workers, acknowledge them immediately. If you completed most of a particular task independently but turned to one or two colleagues to pick up the slack, highlight their contributions as well.

Vince Thompson of Middleshift Consulting, a consulting firm in Los Angeles, says that sharing credit not only makes colleagues want to work with you, but also shows the boss that you're more interested in the team.

Perhaps the biggest danger is being accused of narcissism and selfishness. Employees who market their performance excessively also run the risk of being perceived as blusterers who would rather grandstand than get the job done.

Still, Olivia Fox Cabane, executive director of Spitfire Communications, a marketing firm in New York, said that these perils pale in comparison to the risks of allowing personal achievements to go unnoticed.